24" width

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by SRW

This happens, and you have to live with it. However, taking that little effort to show that you give a $h!t is good for the game. Hearing the "Thanks, Blue" is a nice thing.

Agree, and routinely clean the PP when necessary

So why do we dust off home plate? If it's obviously unhitable, then we should call it a ball...right? Same kind of logic?

Because....this slab of rubber is the focal point on whether a pitch is to be ruled a ball or strike, which is a major part of the game. Personally, I would love to just call strikes for any pitch the umpire believes is hittable. OTOH, there are a lot of umpires who believe they are top-notch, that make a pitcher hit a zone the size of a postage stamp.

So, we need to have something to determine which pitch shall be ruled a strike.

Besides, a UIC isn't going to tell you to not call balls and strikes.